Luke Baldock (kiriyamakazou)

The usual story that animations undertake to examine subjects such as war. A planet of peaceful aliens in touch with nature are invaded by humans. The humans need somewhere new to live and they are going to take it by force. We have the same old characters, from the soldier that learns the error of his ways, to the crazy general that would rather shoot first and ask questions later. Luckily, it's all done very well, even if the animation isn't exactly memorable. The all star voice cast is more of a distraction than a help, but at least the performances are done right. It will be a great film for any kids watching such a story for the first time, but very dull in places for those that have seen a lot.

Last year, the antidote to the Twilight phenomenon was Let the Right One In. This year, Thirst steps forward to show how a vampire movie should be made. It's dark, disturbing and creative in ways that such a generic and overused idea needs to be. Thirst covers the themes one wants to see in a Vampire tale. Faith, obsession, guilt, and most importantly, love and lust and the thin divide between the two. Park uses his slow and subtle techniques to gradually let his story unfold. Viewers should keep in mind that this is NOT a horror. There isn't a single scene that could even be described as scary. It deals with the moral dilemmas of being a vampire and has two characters dealing with transformations in their own way. The effects are also incredible and never put centre stage. The super-human jumps and strength look so natural, and Park doesn't bother with slow-motion or extreme close-ups to announce "LOOK AT THIS". It's a film that doesn't seem so great while you are watching, but it's something you reflect upon just as it ends. Park is a true filmmaker. One scene has our protagonist encounter the object of his desire whilst she is out running barefoot. He lifts her with great ease and places her into his shoes. This one moment was more romantic and emotionally powerful than all the bland characters and turgid dialogue in the teen shitstorm of Twilight.

Quite simply the greatest film ever. It's perfect. Kurosawa uses all his skill to create an influential action masterpiece. Each of the characters gets their own amount of screen time and is developed upon. Kurosawa blurs the lines between good and evil, as we discover the farmers are not as pure and weak as they claim to be. The battle scenes have never really been matched, as most battles today lack real emotion. We feel there is something worth losing. Simply fantastic.

Simply and utterly gorgeous. A silent gem that shows how far cinema can go on simply visuals. Mainly told in close ups, the performances are just restrained enough to avoid the comical silent overacting. An artistic masterpiece.